I am by no means a movie buff. You could name almost any movie and I probably haven't seen it. Needless to say, since I don't watch movies or pay attention to the lasted releases, I was only slightly aware of what Precious was about.
The movie Precious is set in Harlem, New York in the late Eighty's depicting a young girl's struggle with her weight, her family life, being a mother, abuse, and self loathing. Right from the beginning she wishes she was someone else through many daydreaming scenarios. She has her own inner hopes and dreams but she does not let them out. She is a 16 year old girl who finds out she is pregnant with her second child, which is fathered by her father. Since the school found out she was pregnant, she was kicked out. However, her principal knew of her potential in math and told her about an alternative school to finish her GED. As the physical and verbal abuse from her mother continued, Precious continued to dream and decided to attend the alternative school. She was in a class of young girls each pursuing their GED for reasons like drug abuse and motherhood. For the first time, she participated in class and felt she belonged. This was the start of Precious finding herself, believing in herself, and thinking for herself. However, each time Precious took one step forward, it seemed like she took two steps back. As she was finally gaining her independence and believing she could learn, she found out she was HIV positive, which she contracted from her father. At 16, Precious was not an average teenager. Instead, she was a young woman trying to learn, reach her dreams, deal with HIV, understand why she was abused, and raise two kids on her own. The hope, persistence, and strength in Precious is inspiring.
The groups depicted in this were African American, White, girls/women, low socioeconomic status, and same sex couples.
Viewing this movie was extremely difficult. Difficult in the sense that I know there are children in the world right now living with these same or worse conditions.The major point I took away from the movie is there may be more to each student than what appears on the surface . You may never fully understand what each student is going through or where they are coming from since you have not walked a day in their shoes. For example, as Precious sat in math class she was paying attention in her own way. She liked math and was learning even though by looking at her, she didn't talk, do her homework, or even open her book. Therefore, if a student is being quiet or does not want to open up, it might not be something you as the teacher are doing but there is more going on in the background. Even though this was about an African American girl, things such as abuse, pregnancy, or disease can be prevalent in any culture, any race, or any socioeconomic status.
This has also changed my perception because you can not assume students have a stable, supportive home-life. Precious did not make it known to anyone at her first school she was being abused verbally or physically. She was told repeatedly from her mother she was dumb, stupid, worthless, and even an education would not help her. Her mother pushed her down day in and day out. It makes it even more clear while I am teaching, I must encourage my students, let them dream, and do my best to let them know they can achieve those dreams.
In the first school Precious attended, when the teacher asked how many students had not done their homework, many had raised their hand. This idea or not needing or valuing education might be a perception of an urban environment or African American culture. However, if you watched close, there were students who did want to learn. Even Precious hit one student in the head who was disrupting the class since she wanted to learn. As teachers, even though there may be some students resistant to education or learning, you can not give up or stop because you never know who you really might be reaching on the sidelines.
Precious gives me hope. She made me see each one of us, regardless of culture, can have dreams and want a better life. But, on the other hand, she also made me realize, regardless of culture, many of us can have low self-esteem and want a different life. She just wanted to be "normal." That is a comment we hear many times. It goes back to the old saying to never judge a book by its cover. Just because everything appears fine on the outside, that might not be the case. There may be hidden issues. This movie has made me more aware of individual students in general. I must be cautious of their feelings and consider what their background coming into school might be before making any judgments.
Precious was from the inner city of New York, a minority, a girl, and on welfare. Many of us have preconceived notions that issues such as abuse and illiteracy are only seen among the members belonging to at least one of the categories. However, one insight I took away is these difficulties and issues can transcend to all cultures, races, and groups. It is important to know that among my students, regardless of what category they belong too, they might have a difficult road ahead of them. I must be supportive and sensitive to each of their needs.
One of the reasons I wanted to view this movie was because it was about an African American student. My cultural background is White, middle to upper class. When I first went to Maple Tree Elementary and only had one White student, I knew I had a lot to learn. I find value in understanding other culture's relationship dynamics, rituals, and family structures. The more I know about my students, the better I will understand my students, what they need, and what techniques they will respond too.
I would absolutely recommend this to others. It is very eye-opening. It is an hour and a half of immersing oneself in her struggles. The movie made me feel like I was in her shoes, experiencing her struggles, and traveling down the difficult road before her. The focus was on abuse, welfare/money, low self-esteem, and education along with race. I felt this hit on many of the struggles my students and their families could possibly be going through.
I might use portions of the book or movie with my students. I would use the parts depicting Precious in her first school and the math classroom. I would also use the part at Each One Teach One when Ms. Rain was encouraging each student for their gifts and talents. I also would use the part when Ms. Rain was telling them to just write. It didn't have to be spelled correctly or grammatically correct, but to just write and try. That puts the students at ease and lets them take more risks. I would not show this entire movie because of the abuse, the graphic nature in some scenes, and the language. Overall, I loved the ups and downs of Precious, especially the end. She has a tough road ahead of her, but she knows her life can and will be better without the shadow and darkness hanging over her head.
I am by no means a movie buff. You could name almost any movie and I probably haven't seen it. Needless to say, since I don't watch movies or pay attention to the lasted releases, I was only slightly aware of what Precious was about.
The movie Precious is set in Harlem, New York in the late Eighty's depicting a young girl's struggle with her weight, her family life, being a mother, abuse, and self loathing. Right from the beginning she wishes she was someone else through many daydreaming scenarios. She has her own inner hopes and dreams but she does not let them out. She is a 16 year old girl who finds out she is pregnant with her second child, which is fathered by her father. Since the school found out she was pregnant, she was kicked out. However, her principal knew of her potential in math and told her about an alternative school to finish her GED. As the physical and verbal abuse from her mother continued, Precious continued to dream and decided to attend the alternative school. She was in a class of young girls each pursuing their GED for reasons like drug abuse and motherhood. For the first time, she participated in class and felt she belonged. This was the start of Precious finding herself, believing in herself, and thinking for herself. However, each time Precious took one step forward, it seemed like she took two steps back. As she was finally gaining her independence and believing she could learn, she found out she was HIV positive, which she contracted from her father. At 16, Precious was not an average teenager. Instead, she was a young woman trying to learn, reach her dreams, deal with HIV, understand why she was abused, and raise two kids on her own. The hope, persistence, and strength in Precious is inspiring.
The groups depicted in this were African American, White, girls/women, low socioeconomic status, and same sex couples.
Viewing this movie was extremely difficult. Difficult in the sense that I know there are children in the world right now living with these same or worse conditions.The major point I took away from the movie is there may be more to each student than what appears on the surface . You may never fully understand what each student is going through or where they are coming from since you have not walked a day in their shoes. For example, as Precious sat in math class she was paying attention in her own way. She liked math and was learning even though by looking at her, she didn't talk, do her homework, or even open her book. Therefore, if a student is being quiet or does not want to open up, it might not be something you as the teacher are doing but there is more going on in the background. Even though this was about an African American girl, things such as abuse, pregnancy, or disease can be prevalent in any culture, any race, or any socioeconomic status.
This has also changed my perception because you can not assume students have a stable, supportive home-life. Precious did not make it known to anyone at her first school she was being abused verbally or physically. She was told repeatedly from her mother she was dumb, stupid, worthless, and even an education would not help her. Her mother pushed her down day in and day out. It makes it even more clear while I am teaching, I must encourage my students, let them dream, and do my best to let them know they can achieve those dreams.
In the first school Precious attended, when the teacher asked how many students had not done their homework, many had raised their hand. This idea or not needing or valuing education might be a perception of an urban environment or African American culture. However, if you watched close, there were students who did want to learn. Even Precious hit one student in the head who was disrupting the class since she wanted to learn. As teachers, even though there may be some students resistant to education or learning, you can not give up or stop because you never know who you really might be reaching on the sidelines.
Precious gives me hope. She made me see each one of us, regardless of culture, can have dreams and want a better life. But, on the other hand, she also made me realize, regardless of culture, many of us can have low self-esteem and want a different life. She just wanted to be "normal." That is a comment we hear many times. It goes back to the old saying to never judge a book by its cover. Just because everything appears fine on the outside, that might not be the case. There may be hidden issues. This movie has made me more aware of individual students in general. I must be cautious of their feelings and consider what their background coming into school might be before making any judgments.
Precious was from the inner city of New York, a minority, a girl, and on welfare. Many of us have preconceived notions that issues such as abuse and illiteracy are only seen among the members belonging to at least one of the categories. However, one insight I took away is these difficulties and issues can transcend to all cultures, races, and groups. It is important to know that among my students, regardless of what category they belong too, they might have a difficult road ahead of them. I must be supportive and sensitive to each of their needs.
One of the reasons I wanted to view this movie was because it was about an African American student. My cultural background is White, middle to upper class. When I first went to Maple Tree Elementary and only had one White student, I knew I had a lot to learn. I find value in understanding other culture's relationship dynamics, rituals, and family structures. The more I know about my students, the better I will understand my students, what they need, and what techniques they will respond too.
I would absolutely recommend this to others. It is very eye-opening. It is an hour and a half of immersing oneself in her struggles. The movie made me feel like I was in her shoes, experiencing her struggles, and traveling down the difficult road before her. The focus was on abuse, welfare/money, low self-esteem, and education along with race. I felt this hit on many of the struggles my students and their families could possibly be going through.
I might use portions of the book or movie with my students. I would use the parts depicting Precious in her first school and the math classroom. I would also use the part at Each One Teach One when Ms. Rain was encouraging each student for their gifts and talents. I also would use the part when Ms. Rain was telling them to just write. It didn't have to be spelled correctly or grammatically correct, but to just write and try. That puts the students at ease and lets them take more risks. I would not show this entire movie because of the abuse, the graphic nature in some scenes, and the language. Overall, I loved the ups and downs of Precious, especially the end. She has a tough road ahead of her, but she knows her life can and will be better without the shadow and darkness hanging over her head.